On display at this year’s Red Square parade on May 9 was something not seen in many years – the soldiers marching past were smiling. Only misanthropes and Russophobes claim that Russians don’t smile. Those who do claim have never been to bed with one, or to a Victory Day parade.

It is therefore bound to happen that Radio Liberty (Svoboda), the Legatum Institute, Fast Eddie Lucas, the Siklebaums, and the Washington war party will discover that the latest Russian weapon in the infowar ranged against them is smiling, laughing — humour on the back of auto bumper-bars.

As every Russian child knows already, the princess who refused to smile — Царевна Несмеяна – was cured by only one thing — the misfortune of an honest man. That was a worker who fell on his face in the mud when he caught sight of the princess looking at him. He was rescued by a mouse, a beetle, and a catfish — three creatures he had earlier helped with money he could ill afford to give away. The princess married him.

This is Victor Vasnetsov’s portrait, which took him a decade (1916-26) to paint. It’s plain the princess couldn’t be persuaded to smile by a court full of wealthy sycophants and crooks.

And here’s the rear of two cars displaying honest worker responses to having Russia tipped in the mud by the US, since the conflict began in Kiev on February 21, 2014. Readers from all across the country have been sending these pictures in. The first was spotted in Perm: